NEW DELHI — At least 21 people were killed and several others injured after a fire tore through a multi-story building in New Delhi on Wednesday, in one of the worst such incidents in the national capital in recent years.
Several people jumped out of the burning building to escape the flames, witnesses said, with residents dragging mattresses from a nearby store to try to break their fall.
Many of the victims were foreign nationals from South Asian countries who had traveled to India for medical treatment or to accompany relatives undergoing care, local media reported.
The building allegedly operated as a bed-and-breakfast catering to patients receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital and their relatives.
More than 40 people were rescued and taken to hospital. It remains unclear how many people were inside the building in Malviya Nagar locality when the fire broke out. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Firefighters have brought the blaze under control, while rescue operations are continuing at the site.
“The fire was brought under control quite early on, it was contained very quickly. We have now cleared the building and opened it up for the police,” fire officer AK Malik said.
Television footage showed two people jumping from a higher floor of the building as it was engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing out.
Local people who helped in the initial rescue said the fire broke out on the ground and first floors of the four-story building, trapping those on higher floors.
Delhi minister Ashish Sood said authorities were investigating whether the building had the necessary permissions to operate as a bed-and-breakfast facility, adding that those found responsible for any violations would face criminal action.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,088; £1,552) for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for those injured.
Videos on social media showed flames shooting from the building as people gathered nearby. Footage broadcast by Indian news channels showed its exterior badly charred as emergency workers searched the site.
Witnesses said the fire spread rapidly, trapping people on upper floors. Bystanders helped some escape before emergency crews arrived.
“The fire broke out at about 08:50… we rushed to the spot to see that the entire building was on fire. There is a mattress shop at the corner from where we took out mattresses and laid them on the road,” Wasim Raj told ANI news agency.
Sher Khan, who lives nearby, described scenes of panic as people trapped on the upper floors cried out for help.
“As the fire intensified, it seemed as if there was no way to jump from here. People spread mattresses, and some from the third floor jumped out with a little kid… She was saying that she fractured her leg,” he said.
Israr Khan, another local resident, told reporters that “all of us have been here since morning. We rescued a child who jumped from the higher floor”.
Several people in the building were from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries and had traveled to Delhi for medical treatment, local lawmaker Satish Upadhyay said.
A spokesperson at the state-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences told Reuters the hospital had received 13 patients, two of whom were critical.
“There was reportedly a restaurant operating on the ground floor of the building … it is most likely that the fire was connected to that restaurant,” local administration official Jitendra Kumar told reporters.
Fires are common in India, where building safety laws are often poorly enforced.
From factories and coaching centres to hospitals and entertainment venues, many of Delhi’s deadliest blazes have exposed a persistent gap between safety rules on paper and their implementation on the ground.
Investigations have repeatedly pointed to lax inspections, faulty electrical systems and buildings operating beyond their approved use.
Source: Saudi Gazette